What is meant by “the apple of your eye”?

David calls for the Lord to keep me as the apple of your eye. Literally, he says, Keep me as the little man, a daughter of an eye. This is a reference to the pupil of the eye. The literal meaning helps us to understand the value of this image. It is called the little man because when you stand very close to someone, you can see a little you in their pupil. David is calling upon God, Keep me, protect me, hold me in your intimate care. Furthermore, we know how the eye is so vital for proper eyesight, and so sensitive. Anyone who has been to the optometrist’s office for an eye exam understands this. The Lord made the eye to close automatically at the possibility of danger, and so when the optometrist puts drops on the eyes to dilate the pupils, it is very hard to keep open one’s eyes! They need to be carefully guarded. The reference to the daughter of an eye catches this, as it bears the sense of a vulnerable female child, who needs her father’s protection with his very life.¹ David is asking that the Lord never let him out of his sight!